All in Postpartum
Five years ago, I was pregnant with my first daughter.
I was a birth doula, attending births in my 33rd week of pregnancy.
Round and ripening, I supported other birthing families as their babies made their way earthside.
I knew my time was coming soon.
Duality: an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something.
There is a tug of war at times within.
I want to return to work. I don’t want to leave my kids.
I want to leave my kids to pursue my passion. I feel like staying at home in our cocoon.
Does one feeling negate the other? Do they have to be in opposition, or can both be true at the same time?
Stephanie and I recently took the four-day DONA International Postpartum Doula Training here in Calgary taught by AJ Hadfield, PDT/PCD(DONA), CD(DONA), CLE. With so much valuable knowledge shared with Stephanie and myself, we wanted to share some of the wisdom with you directly. I sat down with AJ to share her experience on what families REALLY need to know about bringing their new baby home. Here’s what AJ generously offered us.
As a lactation educator, I hear commonly asked questions when I support new families. This list of the top three questions and my responses to my clients offers some practical information on breastfeeding your newborn. Whether you are an experienced breastfeeder or entering breastfeeding as a first-time mother or parent, this information will help you establish breastfeeding with your newborn.
Stepping into new motherhood, I felt really prepared. I had an arsenal of doulas in my corner and I had a library of resources to draw from (should I need them). I felt quite confident that I could face the unknown and roll with the punches. Even with all the reassurances, it was still an initiation that my heart wasn’t prepared for.
We get it. Sleep (or more accurately the lack of sleep) that comes along with a newborn can be stressful for many new parents. You may wonder if your baby's sleep (or lack of sleep) is normal, you may be wondering if there's something you should be doing differently (more of or less of), you may worry that you are creating "bad habits" in your baby. Ultimately, you may question everything you've ever known and find yourself in the middle of an existential crisis (a common side effect of sleep deprivation).
This is why we are so excited to share this guest blog post about normal newborn sleep by Andrea Galambos, a Gentle Sleep Coach and owner of local Calgary company Blissful Nights. Included are some of her best newborn survival tips (scroll to the end of the post if you need those first...)
